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I used to read all about "cruising" in the magazines. The people doing it took pride in things like bathing in a quart of water a week. Although they never used ice, their food either never rotted or they never noticed. They'd troll laundry and dishes over the stern to wash them, and troll everything else over the stern during hurricanes, for sea anchors. They'd "lie ahull" so that they wouldn't have to go topsides in hundred knot winds while going around all the horns they seemed to be constantly going around to get to whatever side of the world they weren't on at the time. To go cruising, you had to be a brave, tough, and true hero. Despite all this, I went cruising anyway.

Cruising can be a weekend experience, a summer vacation, or a retirement fling. You can do it on almost any boat you can eat and sleep on, as long as you use it in the waters and conditions it's designed for Cruising is probably within your reach, if you know the real story. Here are ten important lessons that we've learned in almost 25 years of cruising. On BoatUS.com, I'll be discussing many other things, in detail, that we've picked up from "doing it" all these years. We moved aboard in 1979 and we're still here.

If You Want To Live Aboard, Do It for the Right Reasons

Some think that living aboard and traveling to a "paradise" over the horizon is the ultimate escape. Actually, there are usually more problems than you've bargained for. You may have as much fun cruising close to home on weekends and vacations. Consider carefully your motivations if you're thinking about taking off for the long haul. If you make as many mistakes as I do on the boat, less people find out about them when you're living out on the hook.

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Be Realistic

Do what works best for you. Before leaping, look. If you don't have your boat yet, spend time chartering (or mooching trips from friends) to get an idea of the types of places you want to go and the types of boats that you like best. Sure, we all want to go to some tropical island, but if you wait to go cruising 'til you've got the time and money to do that, you might never go. Besides, all the tropical islands I've ever been to had lots of really big cockroaches.

Be Comfortable

When I started, cruisers always bragged about being tough and Spartan. For example, they'd go to extremes to avoid refrigeration. A trick for eggs was to take them fresh and unwashed from under the hen, smear them with Vaseline, and store them in the bilge. You don't have to do that now, and it's a good thing. I was raised in the country, and I know what's on an unwashed egg just removed from under the chicken. The last thing you want in your bilge is a bunch of eggs covered with Vaseline and chicken manure. The good news is that refrigeration on a boat is no longer a big deal and neither are most other creature comforts. You don't have to live like a caveman unless, of course, you have a spouse and/or kids who aren't sure about cruising and you want to make sure that you cruise all by yourself.

Deal with the Differences

There are important differences between a weekend cruise and an extended cruise. These include the size and type of boat that'll work, the amount of storage needed, tolerance for each other in close quarters, daily routines, and equipment. Also, it's much easier to do without some of the creature comforts for a weekend than it is for months. And unfortunately, some carry over the party atmosphere often associated with a weekend cruise. You can't party every night for several months without getting into serious trouble. Ask yourself what you're going to be doing for long periods of time on the boat. Bring along hobbies, books, and other things to do.

Dump Your Dippy Dinghy

While a little rubber ducky may suit well for short hops between boats in a snug cove, you may need a tougher, larger, and more seaworthy tender if you cruise to far away places. It'll be your car, your pickup truck, and your four-wheeler for exploring far away and for traveling long distances in open waters.

Hardened Steel is Better than Gold

Good tools and spare parts are better than money in the bank, if you know how to use them. If something breaks when you're out for the weekend, you can usually rely on the yard to fix it during the week. When you're out for much longer, your ability to fix things will make you safer, save money, and give you more freedom. (You won't have to wait a week for a mechanic to show up to do a 30-minute job while he's sitting on something else and breaking it in the process.) Take courses on maintenance of your systems and engines. You don't want to be like the guy I once met on the beach who thought that pulling the exhaust manifold from the head had something to do with the bathroom.

Weather Rules the Day (and Night)

Ashore, understanding weather means knowing how to set your air conditioning. When you go away in a boat, even for a weekend, you're out in the real world and at the mercy of the weather. We like this. It puts us in tune with a life rhythm more meaningful than the hum of climate control. But you need more than the "partly cloudy" veneer of TV forecasts. You should have access to and understand the underlying data, and be able to do some forecasting on your own, relevant to your location and plans. You also need to be able to look out the hatch and understand what's happening. Sometimes even the weather on VHF radio (assuming you're within range) doesn't give you all the information you need. Read books or take courses. Subscribe to one of the weather services available. Look for tips on the BoatU.S. web site.

Anchoring is a Cornerstone to Cruising

Your boat is your own special island, immersed in nature, yet with the comforts of home. Even if you're anchored off your neighborhood, you'll now see it from a different and nicer perspective. We've spent thousands of nights on the hook, but many people have bad anchoring experiences. This need not be. Invest in good equipment and learn how to use it. We wouldn't be out here without a CQR and a Fortress anchor, with plenty of chain rode, and a heavy duty windlass. There are specific tactics and equipment that allow you to sleep well at night when on the hook. "Back down to set the anchor" is no more the whole story about anchoring than "open the garage door before shifting into reverse" is about driving. These steps are beyond the scope of this article, so go to BoatUS.com for more information.

Practice

If you want to take off for a long time, simulate that experience in your home area. Some issues may not be obvious from your weekend trips. For example, what's it going to be like living with your spouse on the boat for more than a few days? Also, you'll need to provision for long periods of time when you won't be able to "run out and get what I forgot." Fixing things while staying aboard is quite different from fixing things while everyone else is home. Consider what (or whom) you need to displace during jobs like repairing the fresh water pump or changing an impellor. Above all, regardless of the type of cruising you do, learn all you can about safety and seamanship.

Attitude Adjustment

You're on a boat--not a bus or plane. Don't try to run on schedule. The best destination will be bad, if the weather is. If you like a place, scrap your plans for tomorrow and stay there to enjoy it longer.

Taking Care of Business

If you're leaving for more than a few weeks, have a friend or relative get your mail and make sure that payments are made on time and important letters answered. For extended cruising you may want to use one of the mail handling services available. Or, if your mother has resented your independence for years, this is a great time to harness her unbridled interest.

Communications

People taking longer cruises are usually more stressed by not being able to keep in touch than by having the phone ring in paradise. Most coastal, river and lake areas are within cellular range. (Boosters and remote antennas, such as those offered by Digital Antenna, help.) Get a one rate plan that covers the area to avoid huge roaming charges. Several wireless companies have reasonably good coverage on the continent with data plans (for e-mail and even Internet access). In island countries such as the Bahamas you can't rely on your US cell phone to work or, if it does, to do so at affordable rates. If you go offshore, you may need modems and programs that work with a single sideband or HAM radio, and/or a satellite phone for data transmissions. The good news is that Wi-Fi hot spots are rapidly increasing, even in the islands.

The "Perfect Time"

If you've done a lot of local cruising and think you want to go farther, don't wait forever for the perfect time to go. Like anything else, there will always be problems to overcome. And don't wait until EVERYTHING on the boat is working perfectly. Are you kidding? This is a boat we're talking about.

Who's Counting?

People always ask about affording it. This presumes quitting your job and taking off. You don't have to do it that way. It can be a part of your regular life--just for shorter periods. Then you won't have to worry so much about counting. I obviously don't either. I told you there'd be ten tips. Instead there are fourteen. I'm out in the Atlantic, heading up the East Coast as I write this. It's a beautiful day. Last night the waves splashed silver in the moonlight. Now a porpoise family is swimming alongside. I nod to them; they nod back. So who's counting?

Tom Neale is a 24/7 cruiser who has written numerous articles and books for anyone wishing to go to another place in a boat and not come back the same day. He and his wife, Mel, live aboard their 53-foot motorsailer. Beginning this summer, Tom's cruising columns appear regularly at BoatUS.com.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Boat Owners Assn.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

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